PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM (MATTHEW 13:44-52)

 

Following two rather long parables to the crowds involving the sowing of seeds which begin this chapter, Jesus meets with his disciples and tells them four additional kingdom sayings which form a matched grouping in themselves. You can see this in Figure 1 below:

                                               Figure 1: Sayings in Matthew 13:44-52

    A. Man purchases a field in which a treasure has been hidden (v. 44)

            B. Merchant finds one pearl of great value among many (vv. 45-46)

            B'. Fisherman keeps the good fish and discards the bad ones (vv. 47-50)

    A'. Master of the house brings out of his treasures what is new and what is old. (vv. 51-52)

Note that A and A' both contain the key word “treasure” and involve something being revealed which had been kept from view. Likewise, tying together B and B' are the facts that both begin with the word “again” and involve discrimination between similar items in order to keep only the most valuable ones.

Perhaps the hardest of these four sayings (which may or may not be considered a real parable) to understand is the last one, but I will not discuss it here since I have already written a post titled “Matthew 13:52.”

Another possible chiastic scheme, which has met with much more approval from scholars, has been proposed by Fenton, this time encompassing more of the verses in the chapter:

                                        Figure 2: Symmetry in Matthew 13:34-52

    A. Speaking in parables as a fulfillment of prophecy (vv. 34-35)

            B. Explanation of the weeds (vv. 36-43)

                    C. Treasure (v. 44)

                    C'. Pearl (v. 45-46)

            B'. The Net and Explanation (vv. 47-50)

A'. Saying about the old and new (vv. 51-52)

In my own mind, this is a bit of a forced analysis, probably designed primarily to pair up the parables of the treasure and the pearl. But I must admit that most other commentators (see below) are also insistent in seeing these two short sayings as parallels.

For example, Overman calls verses 44-50 “Three more brief parables of the kingdom. The first two – the treasure and the pearl – depict the inestimable value of the kingdom. The third is another apocalyptic parable.”

Also considering these two parables as a matched pair is Tilden, who states, “44: Some men respond in whole-hearted dedication to Jesus' message without any other thought than to have what it yields. 45-46: Some men dedicate themselves to God's kingdom because, being able to judge the value of other claims being made on them, they value it more.”

The Jerusalem Bible lumps verses 44-46 together under the title 'Parables of the Treasure and of the Pearl' with the comment: “If a man discovers the kingdom of heaven he cannot enter unless he leaves all behind, cf. 19:21. ”Albright and Mann say regarding these two parables: “These sayings may refer to the mission of Jesus seeking men for his Kingdom, with a plain statement of the price which must be paid for that Kingdom's inauguration. Similarly, they may indicate the sacrifice demanded of those who come to the Messianic Kingdom. In the context in which they were first spoken, they may have reference back to vs. 11: the disciples are in present possession of a secret, that of the identity of the Messiah and his impending reign. Certainly there is a call here for sacrifice and detachment, a steadfast regard for the treasure which the disciples already possess, and alongside which all else is counted for nothing.”

“Another pair of short similes or analogies follows (as in vv. 31-33). Again each contains one character and teaches one point, namely, that the kingdom is so valuable that it is worth sacrificing anything to gain it.” (Blomberg)

Then there is also the question as to whether parables B and B' of Figure 2 are indeed paired up. Hendricksen for one does feel that they have strong affinities to one another. He states, “Even on the surface and especially in the interpretation the parable resembles that of The Tares among the Wheat. Just as in the field the wheat and the tares were allowed to grow to maturity intermingled, and were not separated until the time of the harvest, so also fish of every variety, both good and bad, are caught in the net, and are not divided into two categories until the net has been drawn ashore.”

France agrees with this assessment: “The similarity of the parable of the net to that of the weeds strongly suggests that the two are designed for the same audience.”

David Hill parrots this opinion by writing that the parable of the Net “naturally follows on the parable of the Weeds and its interpretation by reason of its message and the remarkable similarity of its language. The interpretation of the Net (verses 49-50) is almost a mechanical repetition of verses 40b-42 from the interpretation of the Weeds, and it is not a suitable ending, for the furnace is hardly the place for bad fish.” Elsewhere, Hill also brings up another contraindication that would put the analysis of Figure 2 in doubt. He expresses his reservations regarding the parallel nature of C and C', adding that the change of tense raises a question regarding their belonging together.” He also notes that “their main point does not fit the themes of the preceding parables...”

Kistemaker adheres to the analysis of Figure 1, but is at the same time is a little hesitant: “These parables [i.e. the treasure and the pearl] occur only in Matthew's Gospel and form a pair. Whether Jesus taught the two parables in sequence or whether Matthew in arranging his material topically placed them together is unknown; the fact remains that the two belong together.” However, even Kistemaker admits that “the introductory sentences of the two parables are not quite balanced. In the one the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, and in the other it is like a merchant [not the pearl itself, as one would have expected].”

Also Snodgrass, who tends to pair up the two parables, explains that the verb tenses utilized in the two are entirely different from one another.

In conclusion, and personally speaking, I remain quite unconvinced that literary symmetries such as in Figure 2 are any superior to those in Figure 1. Perhaps we should keep both in mind at the same time, somewhat like the situation of light, which can be considered to be both a form of energy and matter simultaneously..

The Treasure in the Field (Matthew 13:44)

Snodgrass in his almost encyclopedic treatment of the parables in Stories with Intent provides page after page of other stories in ancient literature involving a buried treasure in a field. It was obviously a very common theme. We could even bring the examples forward a number of centuries to include Joseph Smith's supposed discovery of the golden tablets on which the whole Book of Mormon was written in “reformed Egyptian hieroglyphs,” whatever in the world those might be.

“Attention is not being drawn to the morality of the man's hiding the treasure until he can buy the field where he has put it, but only to the enormous worth of what he has found.” (D. Hill)

This idea is echoed by Blomberg, who says, “One should not worry about the man's ethics in hiding the treasure. We need neither justify his behavior nor imitate it. This is simply part of the story line that helps to make sense of the plot. Jesus frequently tells parables in which unscrupulous characters nevertheless display some virtue from which Christians can learn (cf. esp. Luke 16:10-8; 18:1-8). Similarly, one must not interpret the buying of the treasure as an allegory for the atonement, as if Jesus were the treasure hunter purchasing our redemption.”

Hendricksen: “The point of the parable is that the kingdom of heaven, the glad recognition of God's rule over heart and life, including salvation for the present and for the future, for soul and ultimately also for the body, the great privilege of being thereby made a blessing to others to the glory of God, all this is a treasure so inestimably precious that one who obtains it is willing to surrender for it whatever could interfere with having it. It is the supreme treasure because it fully satisfies the needs of the heart. It brings inner peace and satisfaction (Acts 7:54-60). An excellent commentary on this parable is Paul's experience as recorded in...Phil. 3:8,9a.”

The Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46)

Hill: “The point is the same as in the previous verse. That the merchant 'seeks' pearls should not be construed as praise for religious effort: like the first man, he too finds his treasure.”

“Sometimes God calls would-be disciples literally to sell all (19:21), but they must always abandon anything that would stand in the way of wholehearted allegiance to Christ and the priorities of the kingdom.” ((Blomberg)

“The literal wealth represented by jewels here becomes metaphoric of the value of God's spiritual kingdom. A companion parable pictures the kingdom as a 'treasure hidden in a field...(Matt 13:44). These two statements about the kingdom of heaven, both expressed in images of treasure, are reciprocal, showing the mutual worth that the kingdom of heaven has for both God and his redeemed people.” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

“Overall, the pearl is an ambivalent image in the Bible. Its beauty and value are positive when it is associated with God's wisdom or heavenly kingdom. But its beauty and value actually become reprehensible when people use it to make an extravagant external impression.” (DBI)

Again, as an aside, Joseph Smith must have been quite fixated on this portion of Scripture, since his only other major writing utilized this title for its own.

The Fisherman's Catch (Matthew 13:47-50)

Blomberg sees strong parallels in form between these verses and 13:24-30, which could possibly give rise to even another symmetrical arrangement in Matthew 13 than found in Figures 1 and 2 above.

“Two groups will emerge [at judgment], testifying to the bipolar character of all human history (Ezek 20:33-37; Mt 13:24-30; 47-50).” (DBI)

Another article in DBI expresses the opinion that v. 47 continues the fishing metaphor of Matt. 4:18-19: “Thus the fishing metaphor conveys selectivity. It also, however, conveys the necessity of God's miraculous involvement in the process.”

Albright and Mann: “This parable re-emphasizes the theme of the weeds in vss. 24-30, of separation at the end of the Messianic age.” They feel that usable and unusable “may refer to good or bad fish simply, or – symbolically -- to ritually 'clean' and 'unclean' fish (cf. Lev xi 9ff.). Mark and Luke have no parallel to this saying, though commentators sometimes refer to John xxi 11, in which connection it is thought that the ancients found the total number of different varieties of fish to be 153.”

“The comparison of the kingdom of heaven to a fishing scene reminds us of the calling of the disciples to 'fish for people' in 4:19. We noted there that the focus seems to be on catching people for salvation rather than, as in Jer 16:16, for punishment; but insofar as the disciples' ' 'fishing' ministry belongs to the establishment of God's kingship, this parable adds the thought that there is a negative as well as a positive aspect to it. Their net is cast over a wide cross-section of people and while the message saves some, it will leave others unconvinced; those who have failed to respond to it are presumably among the 'bad fish' of this parable. The fishermen of v. 48 are of course identified as the angels, not as the disciples, but it is the prior announcement of the kingdom of heaven (with which the disciples have been entrusted, 10:7) which forms the basis of the separation between good and bad.” (France)